Infrared camera system housing with metalized surface
A housing for an infrared camera module may be implemented with a substantially non-metal cover configured to substantially or completely enclose various components of an infrared imaging device. A metal layer may be disposed on various interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover. Such implementations may be used to reduce the effects of various environmental conditions which may otherwise adversely affect the performance of the infrared imaging device. In addition, one or more conductive traces may be built into the housing and/or on interior surfaces of the housing to facilitate the passing of signals from components of the infrared imaging device such as infrared sensors, read out circuitry, a temperature measurement component, and/or other components. One or more fiducial markers may be provided to align various components of the infrared camera module during manufacture.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/683,124 filed Aug. 14, 2012 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA SYSTEM HOUSING WITH METALIZED SURFACE” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
This application is a continuation-in-part of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041744 filed Jun. 8, 2012 and entitled “LOW POWER AND SMALL FORM FACTOR INFRARED IMAGING” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041744 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/656,889 filed Jun. 7, 2012 and entitled “LOW POWER AND SMALL FORM FACTOR INFRARED IMAGING” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041744 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/545,056 filed Oct. 7, 2011 and entitled “NON-UNIFORMITY CORRECTION TECHNIQUES FOR INFRARED IMAGING DEVICES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041744 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,873 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA PACKAGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041744 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,879 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041744 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,888 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
This application is a continuation-in-part of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041749 filed Jun. 8, 2012 and entitled “NON-UNIFORMITY CORRECTION TECHNIQUES FOR INFRARED IMAGING DEVICES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041749 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/545,056 filed Oct. 7, 2011 and entitled “NON-UNIFORMITY CORRECTION TECHNIQUES FOR INFRARED IMAGING DEVICES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041749 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,873 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA PACKAGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041749 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,879 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041749 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,888 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
This application is a continuation-in-part of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041739 filed Jun. 8, 2012 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041739 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,873 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA PACKAGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041739 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,879 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2012/041739 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,888 filed Jun. 10, 2011 and entitled “INFRARED CAMERA CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDOne or more embodiments of the invention relate generally to imaging devices and more particularly, for example, to infrared imaging devices.
BACKGROUNDExisting infrared imaging devices, such as infrared cameras, are often subject to environmental conditions which may adversely affect their performance. For example, undesired radiation may reduce thermographic accuracy and may introduce low spatial frequency non-uniformities.
In particular, radiation received from outside a field of view (e.g., outside a target scene desired to be imaged) or non-uniform heating (e.g., by external sources or components of such devices) may significantly degrade the accuracy and uniformity of such devices. These effects can become especially significant for infrared imaging devices implemented with small form factors.
SUMMARYIn accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure, a housing for an infrared camera module may be implemented with a substantially non-metal cover configured to substantially or completely enclose various components of an infrared imaging device. A metal layer may be disposed on various interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover. Such implementations may be used to reduce the effects of various environmental conditions which may otherwise adversely affect the performance of the infrared imaging device. In addition, one or more conductive traces (e.g., electrical connections) may be built into the housing and/or on various surfaces of the housing to facilitate the passing of signals from components of the infrared imaging device such as infrared sensors, read out circuitry, a temperature measurement component, and/or other components. One or more fiducial markers may be provided to align various components of the infrared camera module during manufacture. These and other features and advantages will be further described herein.
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a housing adapted to at least substantially enclose an infrared sensor assembly and comprising: a substantially non-metal cover; and a metal layer disposed on a majority of interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover.
In another embodiment, a method includes providing a substantially non-metal cover; metalizing a majority of interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover to provide a metal layer; wherein the cover and the metal layer comprise a housing; and wherein the housing is adapted to at least substantially enclose an infrared sensor assembly
In another embodiment, a system includes an infrared camera module comprising: an infrared sensor assembly adapted to capture image frames; and a housing at least substantially enclosing the infrared sensor assembly and comprising: a substantially non-metal cover, and a metal layer disposed on a majority of interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover.
In another embodiment, an apparatus includes a housing comprising: a substantially non-metal cover; a metal layer on a majority of interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover; wherein the housing is adapted to at least substantially enclose an infrared sensor assembly; and wherein the housing is adapted to engage with a socket of a mobile personal electronic device.
In another embodiment, an apparatus includes a housing implemented as a molded interconnect device (MID) adapted to at least substantially enclose an infrared sensor assembly, the housing comprising a conductive trace; and a temperature measurement component mounted on an interior surface of the housing, electrically connected to the conductive trace, and adapted to be used to determine a temperature associated with the housing.
The scope of the invention is defined by the claims, which are incorporated into this section by reference. A more complete understanding of embodiments of the invention will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of one or more embodiments. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings that will first be described briefly.
Embodiments of the invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONIn one embodiment, infrared imaging module 100 may be configured to be implemented in a small portable host device 102, such as a mobile telephone, a tablet computing device, a laptop computing device, a personal digital assistant, a visible light camera, a music player, or any other appropriate device. In this regard, infrared imaging module 100 may be used to provide infrared imaging features to host device 102. For example, infrared imaging module 100 may be configured to capture, process, and/or otherwise manage infrared images and provide such infrared images to host device 102 for use in any desired fashion (e.g., for further processing, to store in memory, to display, to use by various applications running on host device 102, to export to other devices, or other uses).
In various embodiments, infrared imaging module 100 may be configured to operate at low voltage levels and over a wide temperature range. For example, in one embodiment, infrared imaging module 100 may operate using a power supply of approximately 2.4 volts, 2.5 volts, 2.8 volts, or lower voltages, and operate over a temperature range of approximately −20 degrees C. to approximately +60 degrees C. (e.g., providing a suitable dynamic range and performance over approximately 80 degrees C.). In one embodiment, by operating infrared imaging module 100 at low voltage levels, infrared imaging module 100 may experience reduced amounts of self heating in comparison with other types of infrared imaging devices. As a result, infrared imaging module 100 may be operated without requiring significant additional measures to compensate for such self heating.
As shown in
Processor 195 may be implemented as any appropriate processing device (e.g., logic device, microcontroller, processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other device) that may be used by host device 102 to execute appropriate instructions, such as software instructions provided in memory 196. Display 197 may be used to display captured and/or processed infrared images and/or other images, data, and information. Other components 198 may be used to implement any features of host device 102 as may be desired for various applications (e.g., a visible light camera or other components).
In various embodiments, infrared imaging module 100 and socket 104 may be implemented for mass production to facilitate high volume applications, such as for implementation in mobile telephones or other devices (e.g., requiring small form factors). In one embodiment, the combination of infrared imaging module 100 and socket 104 may exhibit overall dimensions of approximately 8.5 mm by 8.5 mm by 5.9 mm while infrared imaging module 100 is installed in socket 104.
Lens barrel 110 may at least partially enclose an optical element 180 which is partially visible in
Infrared sensor assembly 128 may be implemented, for example, with a cap 130 (e.g., a lid) mounted on a substrate 140. Infrared sensor assembly 128 may include a plurality of infrared sensors 132 (e.g., infrared detectors) implemented in an array or other fashion on substrate 140 and covered by cap 130 (e.g., shown in
Infrared sensors 132 may be configured to detect infrared radiation (e.g., infrared energy) from a target scene including, for example, mid wave infrared wave bands (MWIR), long wave infrared wave bands (LWIR), and/or other thermal imaging bands as may be desired in particular implementations. In one embodiment, infrared sensor assembly 128 may be provided in accordance with wafer level packaging techniques.
Infrared sensors 132 may be implemented, for example, as microbolometers or other types of thermal imaging infrared sensors arranged in any desired array pattern to provide a plurality of pixels. In one embodiment, infrared sensors 132 may be implemented as vanadium oxide (VOx) detectors with a 17 μm pixel pitch. In various embodiments, arrays of approximately 32 by 32 infrared sensors 132, approximately 64 by 64 infrared sensors 132, approximately 80 by 64 infrared sensors 132, or other array sizes may be used.
Substrate 140 may include various circuitry including, for example, a read out integrated circuit (ROIC) with dimensions less than approximately 5.5 mm by 5.5 mm in one embodiment. Substrate 140 may also include bond pads 142 that may be used to contact complementary connections positioned on inside surfaces of housing 120 when infrared imaging module 100 is assembled as shown in
Infrared sensor assembly 128 may capture images (e.g., image frames) and provide such images from its ROIC at various rates. Processing module 160 may be used to perform appropriate processing of captured infrared images and may be implemented in accordance with any appropriate architecture. In one embodiment, processing module 160 may be implemented as an ASIC. In this regard, such an ASIC may be configured to perform image processing with high performance and/or high efficiency. In another embodiment, processing module 160 may be implemented with a general purpose central processing unit (CPU) which may be configured to execute appropriate software instructions to perform image processing, coordinate and perform image processing with various image processing blocks, coordinate interfacing between processing module 160 and host device 102, and/or other operations. In yet another embodiment, processing module 160 may be implemented with a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Processing module 160 may be implemented with other types of processing and/or logic circuits in other embodiments as would be understood by one skilled in the art.
In these and other embodiments, processing module 160 may also be implemented with other components where appropriate, such as, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and/or one or more interfaces (e.g., infrared detector interfaces, inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interfaces, mobile industry processor interfaces (MIPI), joint test action group (JTAG) interfaces (e.g., IEEE 1149.1 standard test access port and boundary-scan architecture), and/or other interfaces).
When infrared imaging module 100 is assembled, housing 120 may substantially enclose infrared sensor assembly 128, base 150, and processing module 160. Housing 120 may facilitate connection of various components of infrared imaging module 100. For example, in one embodiment, housing 120 may provide electrical connections 126 to connect various components as further described.
Electrical connections 126 (e.g., conductive electrical paths, conductive traces, or other types of connections) may be electrically connected with bond pads 142 when infrared imaging module 100 is assembled. In various embodiments, electrical connections 126 may be embedded in housing 120, provided on inside surfaces of housing 120, and/or otherwise provided by housing 120. Electrical connections 126 may terminate in connections 124 protruding from the bottom surface of housing 120 as shown in
In various embodiments, electrical connections 126 in housing 120 may be made from any desired material (e.g., copper or any other appropriate conductive material). In one embodiment, electrical connections 126 may aid in dissipating heat from infrared imaging module 100.
Substrate 140 of infrared sensor assembly 128 may be mounted on base 150. In various embodiments, base 150 (e.g., a pedestal) may be made, for example, of copper formed by metal injection molding (MIM) and provided with a black oxide or nickel-coated finish. In various embodiments, base 150 may be made of any desired material, such as for example zinc, aluminum, or magnesium, as desired for a given application and may be formed by any desired applicable process, such as for example aluminum casting, MIM, or zinc rapid casting, as may be desired for particular applications. In various embodiments, base 150 may be implemented to provide structural support, various circuit paths, thermal heat sink properties, and other features where appropriate. In one embodiment, base 150 may be a multi-layer structure implemented at least in part using ceramic material.
In various embodiments, circuit board 170 may receive housing 120 and thus may physically support the various components of infrared imaging module 100. In various embodiments, circuit board 170 may be implemented as a printed circuit board (e.g., an FR4 circuit board or other types of circuit boards), a rigid or flexible interconnect (e.g., tape or other type of interconnects), a flexible circuit substrate, a flexible plastic substrate, or other appropriate structures. In various embodiments, base 150 may be implemented with the various features and attributes described for circuit board 170, and vice versa.
Socket 104 may include a cavity 106 configured to receive infrared imaging module 100 (e.g., as shown in the assembled view of
Infrared imaging module 100 may be electrically connected with socket 104 through appropriate electrical connections (e.g., contacts, pins, wires, or any other appropriate connections). For example, as shown in
Socket 104 may be electrically connected with host device 102 through similar types of electrical connections. For example, in one embodiment, host device 102 may include electrical connections (e.g., soldered connections, snap-in connections, or other connections) that connect with electrical connections 108 passing through apertures 190 as shown in
Various components of infrared imaging module 100 may be implemented with flip chip technology which may be used to mount components directly to circuit boards without the additional clearances typically needed for wire bond connections. Flip chip connections may be used, as an example, to reduce the overall size of infrared imaging module 100 for use in compact small form factor applications. For example, in one embodiment, processing module 160 may be mounted to circuit board 170 using flip chip connections. For example, in
In various embodiments, infrared imaging module 100 and/or associated components may be implemented in accordance with various techniques (e.g., wafer level packaging techniques) as set forth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/844,124 filed Jul. 27, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/469,651 filed Mar. 30, 2011, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, in accordance with one or more embodiments, infrared imaging module 100 and/or associated components may be implemented, calibrated, tested, and/or used in accordance with various techniques, such as for example as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 7,470,902 issued Dec. 30, 2008, U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,309 issued Feb. 22, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,465 issued Nov. 2, 2004, U.S. Pat. No. 7,034,301 issued Apr. 25, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 7,679,048 issued Mar. 16, 2010, U.S. Pat. No. 7,470,904 issued Dec. 30, 2008, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/202,880 filed Sep. 2, 2008, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/202,896 filed Sep. 2, 2008, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
As also shown in
In one embodiment, optical element 180 may be a single etched wafer level optical element made of silicon with the following specifications: image plane of 0.54 mm by 0.54 mm (e.g., when implemented for an infrared sensor assembly 128 having a 32 by 32 array of infrared sensors 132 with 17 μm pixel pitch); horizontal field of view (FoV) of approximately 55.7 degrees; F/# approximately equal to 0.91; modulated transfer function (MTF) of approximately 0.46 at 29 cy/mm; an anti-reflective coating with less than approximately two percent loss per surface; and focused at infinity.
In some embodiments, optical element 180 may be integrated as part of a wafer level package that includes infrared sensor assembly 128. For example, optical element 180 may be implemented as part of cap 130, stacked on various components of infrared sensor assembly 128 (e.g., with appropriate spacers provided therebetween), or otherwise integrated with various components of infrared sensor assembly 128.
Referring again to
In various embodiments, shutter 105 may be made from various materials such as, for example, polymers, glass, or other materials. In various embodiments, shutter 105 may include one or more coatings to selectively filter electromagnetic radiation and/or adjust various optical properties of shutter 105 (e.g., a uniform blackbody coating or a reflective gold coating).
In another embodiment, shutter 105 may be fixed in place to protect infrared imaging module 100 at all times. In this case, shutter 105 or a portion of shutter 105 may be made from appropriate materials (e.g., polymers) that do not substantially filter desired infrared wavelengths. In another embodiment, a shutter may be implemented as part of infrared imaging module 100 (e.g., within or as part of a lens barrel or other components of infrared imaging module 100), as would be understood by one skilled in the art. Alternatively, in another embodiment, a shutter (e.g., shutter 105 or other type of external or internal shutter) need not be provided, but rather a NUC process or other type of calibration may be performed using shutterless techniques.
It will be appreciated that
It will also be appreciated that, in
In some embodiments, sockets 104 shown in
Additional implementations of infrared imaging modules 100 are also contemplated. For example,
For example,
In accordance with additional embodiments of the disclosure, housing 120 may be implemented with a substantially non-metal cover configured to substantially or completely enclose various components of infrared imaging module 100. One or more metal layers may be disposed on various interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover (e.g., a plurality, a majority, substantially all, or all of such surfaces). Such implementations may be used to reduce the effects of various environmental conditions which may otherwise adversely affect the performance of infrared imaging module 100. In addition, one or more conductive traces (e.g., electrical connections) may be built into housing 120 and/or on surfaces of housing 120 to facilitate the passing of signals from components of the infrared imaging device such as infrared sensor assembly 128, a temperature measurement component, and/or other components. Various fiducial markers may be provided on exterior and/or interior surfaces of the housing. Such fiducial markers may be used, for example, to align various components during manufacture of infrared imaging module 100. These and other features and advantages will be further described herein.
In
Although housing 120A and other housings 120B-D described herein are illustrated as having generally square or rectangular shapes, any desired shape may be used for housings 120A-D to at least partially or completely enclose one or more desired components of infrared imaging module 100. In addition, although housing 120A is illustrated as mounted on base 150, other mounting configurations are also contemplated for any of housings 120A-D. Any desired set of components may be substantially or completely enclosed by housings 120A-D in various embodiments to seal such components from external environments.
In
One or more metal layers 920A may be disposed on various interior and/or exterior (e.g., inside and/or outside) surfaces of cover 910A (e.g., a plurality, a majority, substantially all, or all of such surfaces). For example, in one embodiment, metal layer 920A may be disposed on various interior surfaces of cover 910A facing infrared sensor assembly 128 in the manner shown in
Combinations of interior and exterior metal layers 920A may be used. For example, in
As shown in
In various embodiments, metal layer 920A may be implemented with material having relatively high thermal conductivity, relatively low emissivity (e.g., emissivity in a range of approximately 0.02 to approximately 0.11 in some embodiments), and having a tendency to maintain these properties despite exposure to a variety of environmental conditions over several years.
In some embodiments, metal layer 920A may be implemented as one or more layers disposed on cover 910A (e.g., disposed directly on cover 910A and/or on top of one or more intermediate layers and/or structures). In some embodiments, metal layer 920A may be implemented by a plurality of sublayers of different metals, each of which may have beneficial characteristics to permit the multi-layered implementation to achieve improved performance over a single layer implementation using a single type of metal.
For example, a copper sublayer may be provided at low cost which exhibits high thermal conductivity and affixes well to plastic. Such a copper sublayer may oxidize rapidly to a high emissivity and thus may be coated in some embodiments. As another example, a nickel sublayer may be provided which maintains low emissivity even after oxidation. As another example, a gold sublayer may be expensive to deposit in thick layers and may not affix well to plastic, but exhibits low emissivity and generally resists oxidization. Thus, by implementing metal layer 920A as multiple sublayers, metal layer 920A may exhibit various advantages associated with different types of metals, while also compensating for various performance tradeoffs associated with particular types of metals.
In this regard,
As shown in
Similarly, as shown in
Electrical connections 1108 and 1110 may be used for various purposes including, for example, grounding, production assembly evaluation, operation (e.g., to transmit and/or receive electrical signals between various components), and/or other purposes as appropriate. In some embodiments, conductive epoxy or solder may be provided to secure and electrically connect areas 950A and/or 960A to one or more electrical connections 1110 and/or 1108, respectively.
In some embodiments, housing 120A may be manufactured in a manner that permits conductive traces 930A and/or other components to be included in or on housing 120A. For example, conductive traces 930A may be manufactured as part of metal layer 920A. In this regard, conductive traces 930A may be efficiently provided with metal layer 920A during a metalization operation, and then electrically isolated from the remainder of metal layer 920A by appropriate insulating material or voids. Moreover, by providing conductive traces 930A as part of a metalization process for metal layer 920A, the overall cost of housing 120A may be reduced over conventional approaches using discrete wires/cables to provide electrical connections.
For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
In some embodiments, housing 120A may be a molded interconnect device (MID) manufactured in accordance with appropriate injection molding techniques. In this regard, housing 120A may be implemented with electrical connections (e.g., electrical connections 126 described herein or others as appropriate).
In some embodiments, various components may be partially or fully embedded (e.g., implanted, formed, or otherwise provided) in housing 120A, or mounted on appropriate interior or exterior surfaces of housing 120A using such manufacturing techniques. For example, as shown in
For example, signals from temperature measurement component 980 may be carried by conductive traces 930A and/or electrical connections 126 from the walls of housing 120A or cavity 912A to appropriate components external to housing 120A and/or appropriate components of infrared imaging module 100 for processing. Such temperature measurements may be used to more accurately determine radiation contributions from out-of-field sources, improve the thermographic accuracy of the infrared sensor assembly 128, and perform various non-uniformity correction processes such as supplemental flat field corrections and/or to correct for out-of-field radiation. Temperature measurement component may be implemented in the same or similar fashion for housings 12B-D described herein.
As shown, housing 120C includes a cover 910C, a cavity 912C, a threaded aperture 122C, a metal layer 920C, conductive traces 930C, areas 940C, areas 950C, and areas 960C which may be used in the same and/or similar fashion as corresponding portions of covers 920A-B described herein. Housing 120C also includes external conductive traces 1400 which may be used as fiducial markers and/or electrical connections further described herein.
By providing metal layers 920A-C on interior and/or exterior surfaces of covers 910A-C, various problems associated with conventional infrared imaging systems may be substantially reduced. For example, conventional systems may experience reduced thermographic accuracy and may exhibit low spatial frequency non-uniformity resulting from undesired external radiation, such as out-of-field radiation that is received from a location outside a field of view of a target scene desired to be imaged, and/or received from various components of such systems.
These undesired external radiation effects may be substantially reduced in infrared imaging module 100 by the low emissivity of metal layers 920A-C. In particular, the low emissivity of metal layers 920A-C may reduce the effects of out-of-field radiation received by infrared sensor assembly 128 by reducing the power emitted by housings 120A-C toward infrared sensor assembly 128.
In this regard, the power emitted by a surface may be expressed as W(λ,T)*e, where λ is the wavelength of infrared radiation, T is the temperature of the surface, and e is the emissivity of the surface. Thus, the emitted power may be considered a linear function of the emissivity.
Metal such as gold has an emissivity of approximately 0.02, nickel has an emissivity in a range of approximately 0.05 to approximately 0.11, and aluminum has an emissivity in a range of approximately 0.05 to approximately 0.09, all of which may be substantially less than that of covers 910A-C (e.g., having an emissivity in a range of approximately 0.8 to approximately 0.95 in the case of plastic or similar material). Accordingly, considering the emissivities discussed above, power emitted from metal layers 920A-C may be approximately one tenth of that emitted from covers 910A-C.
Thus, with metal layers 920A-C present, less out-of-field radiation (e.g., power) is received by infrared sensor assembly 128 in response to temperature changes in covers 910A-C (e.g., an approximately 90% reduction in some embodiments). The reduced power emitted by metal layers 920A-C in comparison to covers 910A-C results in corresponding smaller output changes experienced by infrared sensor assembly 128 in response to such radiation (e.g., fewer effects of out-of-field radiation will be represented in image frames captured by infrared sensor assembly 128). As a result, infrared sensor assembly 128 may be operated with greater thermographic accuracy, as there is less need to compensate for out-of-field radiation when performing temperature measurements of objects in a target scene. In addition, the reduced amount of radiation emitted by metal layers 920A-C in comparison to covers 910A-C may result in infrared sensor assembly 128 exhibiting less low spatial frequency non-uniformity. Also, by reducing the radiation received by infrared sensor assembly 128, possible errors in estimating contributions of out-of-field radiation may be correspondingly reduced. As a result, infrared sensor assembly 128 may be operated with improved thermographic accuracy and uniformity.
Metal layers 920A-C may be used to improve the thermal conductivity of infrared imaging module 100 and thus reduce additional problems associated with conventional infrared imaging systems. In this regard, conventional systems may experience non-uniform heating (e.g., hot spots) from various components (e.g., mounted inside or outside a housing) and/or various external heat sources. As a result, the temperature distribution across such systems may vary significantly, especially as various components are selectively switched on and off. If left uncorrected, non-uniform heating of a housing may result in low spatial frequency non-uniformities exhibited at the sensors.
Such non-uniform heating effects may be substantially reduced in infrared imaging module 100 by the high thermal conductivity of metal layers 920A-C. Covers 910A-C may be implemented with a material (e.g., comprised substantially of plastic and/or other material) having relatively low thermal conductivity (e.g., also a relatively slow thermal time constant). However, by providing metal layers 920A-C with a higher thermal conductivity (e.g., also a faster thermal time constant) than covers 910A-C, heat may be more uniformly distributed around infrared sensor assembly 128 and thus reduce the detrimental effects of non-uniform heating, especially where infrared imaging module 100 is used in close proximity to other components, such as in personal electronic devices.
In addition, the high thermal conductivity of metal layers 920A-C may permit components of infrared imaging module 100 to be more effectively cooled by convection. In this regard, heat generated by infrared sensor assembly 128 and processing module 160 may be received by the various surfaces of metal layers 920A-C and passed to housings 120A-C which provides a large surface area for convection cooling. As a result, temperature variations in housings 120A-C may be reduced to allow for more accurate temperature measurements of housings 120A-C (e.g., by temperature measurement component 980). In some embodiments, the increased heat flow in housings 120A-C permits infrared imaging module 100 to achieve a lower steady state operating temperature which improves the dynamic range of infrared sensors 132 and the reliability of infrared imaging module 100.
Metal layers 920A-C may also be used to provide an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield in a manner that overcomes several problems associated with conventional approaches. In this regard, conventional systems may utilize EMI shields implemented as separate structures that must be positioned over various components for shielding. Such structures occupy valuable space, reduce convective cooling, and involve additional assembly costs, all of which make them poorly suited to small form factor applications.
These drawbacks may be substantially reduced by metal layers 920A-C. In some embodiments, metal layers 920A-C may be grounded (e.g., at areas 950A and 950C as discussed) and operate as an EMI shield. In particular, metal layers 920A-C may operate as a shield to substantially attenuate EMI emitted by infrared sensor assembly 128, processing module 160, and/or various components enclosed by housings 120A-C to thus shield components of host device 102 and/or an external environment from the EMI and reduce possible interference. Metal layers 920A-C may also operate as a shield to substantially attenuate external EMI (e.g., EMI incident on covers 910A-C) to shield infrared sensor assembly 128 and/or various components enclosed by housings 120A-C.
Thus, in contrast to conventional EMI shields, metal layers 920A-C effectively provide a compact EMI shield integrated with housings 120A-C that does not occupy additional external space and does not require the fitting of additional external components (e.g., thus reducing materials and assembly costs). In addition, as discussed herein in some embodiments, metal layers 920A-C may actually improve the cooling of infrared imaging module 100.
As discussed, housing 120C includes external conductive traces 1400 which may be used as fiducial markers. For example, as shown in
A machine-based assembly process may use one or more cameras (or other imaging devices) to capture images of pads 1402 during assembly of infrared imaging module 100 to determine the alignment of housing 120C relative to other components using fiducial markers 1402. For example,
In order for infrared imaging module 100 to provide accurate images, it is preferable that infrared sensor assembly 128 and lens barrel 110 be precisely aligned such that a center 1510 of the infrared sensor assembly 128 (e.g., corresponding to the center of the array of infrared sensors 132 provided thereby) be aligned with an optical axis 1512 of lens barrel 110. To facilitate this alignment, a camera 1502 (e.g., visible, infrared, or other type of camera) captures images of a top surface of housing 120C as it is positioned relative to infrared sensor assembly 128. Such captured images may be received and analyzed by an appropriate processing system 1520 to determine the current alignment of housing 120C relative to infrared sensor assembly 128. In this regard, processing system may use fiducial markers 1404 and/or 1406 in the captured images to determine the alignment of housing 120C relative to infrared sensor assembly 128.
Accordingly, housing 120C, infrared sensor assembly 128, and/or base 150 may be appropriately repositioned by alignment components 1522 (e.g., actuators, mechanical devices, electromechanical devices, and/or others) and additional images may be captured in an iterative fashion until housing 120C is accurately aligned with infrared sensor assembly 128. Housing 120C may then be installed on base 150 as further described herein.
Although fiducial markers 1404 and 1406 are shown on the top surface of housing 120C in
Although fiducial markers 1404 and 1406 implemented by pads 1402 on a top surface of housing 120C have been described, other fiducial markers are also contemplated. For example,
In some embodiments, L-shaped features such as those of fiducial markers 1404 and 1604 may be preferably used, as such shapes may be readily identified and distinguished from other features (e.g., chamfered corners 1406) when analyzed by various machine vision systems (e.g., such as processing system 1520). However, fiducial markers of any desired shape (e.g., dots, crosshairs, or other shapes) may be used in other embodiments. In addition, fiducial markers may be physically implemented in any desired fashion such as conductive traces, painted markers, etched markers, molded markers, and/or others. Where appropriate, the various alignment techniques discussed with regard to the alignment of housing 120C may be used to align lens barrel 110 relative to housing 120C and/or to align shutter 1700 (further discussed herein) relative to housing 120C/lens barrel 110.
As discussed, conductive traces 1400 may also be used to provide electrical connections. As shown in
Shutter 1700 includes contacts 1702 that may engage with pads 1402 of housing 120C when shutter 1700 is installed as part of infrared imaging module 100. In some embodiments, contacts 1702 may be compression contacts (e.g., spring contacts) configured to be biased against pads 1402 when shutter 1700 is installed on housing 120C (see
Shutter 1700 also includes a recess 1704 configured to receive lens barrel 110 and an external ring 1810 of housing 120C (with threaded aperture 122C disposed therein) as shutter 1700 is installed onto housing 120C. Shutter 1700 also includes an orientation groove 1706 configured to receive an orientation tab 1808 of housing 120C to align shutter 1700 relative to housing 120C.
At operation 2010, cover 910C is provided. In some embodiments, operation 2010 may include forming cover 910C using MID techniques to partially or fully embed various electrical connections 126 and/or components (e.g., temperature measurement component 980 or others) within cover 910C. In addition to and/or in the alternative, components may be attached and/or connected in other operations of
At operation 2015, metal layer 920C is provided. In some embodiments, operation 2015 may be performed by metalizing surfaces of cover 910C as part of a MID manufacturing process (e.g., as part of operation 2010), thus saving cost and time. In some embodiments, metal layer 920C may be formed as a single layer and/or several sublayers (e.g., sublayers 922, 924, 926, and/or others) in accordance with appropriate metalization techniques. In some embodiments, cover 910C may be appropriately masked during operation 2015 to define conductive traces 930C and/or areas 940C. In this regard, conductive traces 930C may be formed as portions of metal layer 920C during operation 2015. In other embodiments, conductive traces 930C and/or areas 940C may be provided in other operations.
The techniques used to provide conductive traces 930C (e.g., in operations 2010 and/or 2015) may be used to provide conductive traces 1400. For example, an external metal layer may be provided (e.g., see external metal layer 920B of
At operation 2020, conductive traces 930C are provided (e.g., if not already provided in operation 2015). In some embodiments, operation 2020 may include etching and/or otherwise removing portions of metal layer 920C to expose areas 940C and thus define conductive traces 930C from metal layer 920C. In other embodiments, conductive traces 930C may be metal that is separately provided in operation 2020. For example, portions of metal layer 920C may be removed in areas 940C and also in areas designated to receive conductive traces 930C. One or more metal layers for conductive traces 930C may then be provided in appropriate removed areas between existing portions of metal layer 920C.
In some embodiments, operation 2020 may also include insulating (e.g., electrically isolating) conductive traces 930C from metal layer 920C (e.g., if not already performed in operation 2015). This may include, for example, maintaining voids in areas 940C, providing insulating material in areas 940C, substantially or completely surrounding conductive traces 930C with insulating material, and/or other appropriate insulating techniques. Also in operation 2020, the techniques used to provide conductive traces 930C may be used to provide conductive traces 1400.
At operation 2025, one or more components are attached to housing 120C and/or connected to conductive traces 930C and/or conductive traces 1400. For example, in one embodiment, temperature measurement component 980 may be connected to conductive traces 930C and mounted on an interior surface of housing 120C. In some embodiments, one or more components (e.g., shutter 1700) may be connected to conductive traces 1400 in subsequent operation 2070 (further discussed herein).
At operation 2030, lens barrel 110 is screwed into threaded aperture 122C provided by housing 120C. In other embodiments, lens barrel 110 may be attached to housing 120C in operation 2030 using other techniques (e.g., epoxy, frictional engagement, and/or others). In some embodiments, operation 2030 may result in the generation of particulates (e.g., caused by friction and/or engagement of lens barrel 110 with threads of aperture 122C). Accordingly, at operation 2035, such particulates may be removed (e.g., by blowing air or other gases on housing 120C, lens barrel 110, and/or other components).
At operation 2040, components of infrared imaging module 100 intended to reside within cavity 912C are provided. For example, in some embodiments, operation 2040 may include manufacturing or otherwise providing infrared sensor assembly 128 and/or other components of infrared imaging module 100.
At operation 2045, housing 120C is aligned relative to infrared sensor assembly 128 and/or base 150/1800 using various fiducial markers 1404, 1406, and/or 1604 as described herein.
At operation 2050, housing 120C is moved toward base 150/1800 (and/or base 150/1800 may be moved toward housing 120C) to substantially or completely enclose the components previously provided in operation 2040. In some embodiments, operation 2050 may include positioning infrared sensor assembly 128 and housing 120C relative to each other such that housing 120C at least substantially encloses infrared sensor assembly 128 and such that metal layer 920C (disposed on various interior surfaces of cover 910C) faces infrared sensor assembly 128. For example, cover 910C may be lowered over infrared sensor assembly 128. As another example, infrared sensor assembly 128 may be inserted into cavity 912C.
At operation 2055, housing 120C is attached to base 150/1800 (e.g., using non-conductive epoxy). At operation 2060, housing electrical connections (e.g., areas 950A and 960A of housing 120A; and areas 950C, 960C, and 1410 of housing 120C) are attached (e.g., using solder or conductive epoxy) to appropriate electrical connections of base 150/1800 (e.g., electrical connections 1108 and 1110 of base 150; and electrical connections 1802 of base 1800).
At operation 2065, shutter 1700 is aligned relative to housing 120C using orientation tab 1808, orientation groove 1706, fiducial markers 1404, and/or fiducial markers 1406. At operation 2070, shutter 1700 is moved toward housing 120C (and/or housing 120C may be moved toward shutter 1700) which brings contacts 1702 into engagement with pads 1402 of housing 120C. As discussed, contacts 1702 may be compression contacts that are biased against pads 1402 when shutter 1700 is installed on housing 120C (see
Thus, following operation 2075, an assembled infrared imaging module 100 may be provided for installation in a device. In this regard, at operation 2080, infrared imaging module 100 is engaged with socket 104, for example, in accordance with various techniques described herein. In some embodiments, operation 2080 may include inserting infrared imaging module 100 into socket 104 of host device 102 such that housing 120C engages with socket 104. Other installation techniques may also be used.
Other operations may be performed to manufacture infrared imaging module 100. For example, in some embodiments, housing 120 may be formed around various components (e.g., infrared sensor assembly 128) during its manufacture.
Other embodiments are also contemplated. For example, although metal layers 920A-C have been primarily described as being on one or more interior surfaces of covers 910A-C, one or more appropriate metal layers may be provided on various interior and/or exterior surfaces of covers 910A-D as may be desired to further realize the various emissivity, conductivity, shielding, and other advantages provided by metal layers 920A-C.
Where applicable, various embodiments provided by the present disclosure can be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations of hardware and software. Also where applicable, the various hardware components and/or software components set forth herein can be combined into composite components comprising software, hardware, and/or both without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Where applicable, the various hardware components and/or software components set forth herein can be separated into sub-components comprising software, hardware, or both without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, where applicable, it is contemplated that software components can be implemented as hardware components, and vice-versa.
Software in accordance with the present disclosure, such as non-transitory instructions, program code, and/or data, can be stored on one or more non-transitory machine readable mediums. It is also contemplated that software identified herein can be implemented using one or more general purpose or specific purpose computers and/or computer systems, networked and/or otherwise. Where applicable, the ordering of various steps described herein can be changed, combined into composite steps, and/or separated into sub-steps to provide features described herein.
Embodiments described above illustrate but do not limit the invention. It should also be understood that numerous modifications and variations are possible in accordance with the principles of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined only by the following claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a housing adapted to receive an infrared sensor assembly comprising a plurality of infrared sensors configured in a focal plane array to capture thermal images of a target scene, the housing comprising:
- a cover comprising a majority of non-metal material;
- a metal layer with disposed on a majority of interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover; and
- wherein the metal layer exhibits a higher thermal conductivity than the cover which reduces non-uniform heating of the infrared sensor assembly, wherein the metal layer is adapted to attenuate electromagnetic interference emitted by the infrared sensor assembly and shield the infrared sensor assembly from electromagnetic interference incident on the cover.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metal layer is disposed on a majority of the interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover, wherein the cover is comprised of a majority of non-metal material.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metal layer exhibits a lower emissivity than the cover which reduces effects of out-of-field radiation on image frames captured by the infrared sensor assembly, wherein the cover exhibits an emissivity in a range of 0.8 to 0.95, wherein the metal layer exhibits an emissivity in a range of 0.02 to 0.11.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metal layer comprises:
- a copper sublayer having a thickness in a range of 4 μm to 16 μm;
- a nickel sublayer having a thickness in a range of 2.5 μm to 10.5 m; and
- a gold sublayer having a thickness in a range of 0.05 μm to 0.15 μm.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises at least one fiducial marker on a surface of the cover and adapted to be used to align the housing with the infrared sensor assembly.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a conductive trace electrically isolated from the metal layer, wherein the conductive trace is at least partially disposed on a surface of the cover, wherein the conductive trace is adapted to electrically connect to an external component.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the conductive trace comprises a portion of the metal layer electrically isolated from other portions of the metal layer.
8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the housing is a molded interconnect device (MID), wherein the conductive trace is at least partially within at least one wall of the housing.
9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the conductive trace is adapted to provide an electrical connection from an interior cavity enclosed by the housing to an exterior of the housing, the apparatus further comprising a temperature measurement component electrically connected to the conductive trace and adapted to be used to determine a temperature associated with the housing.
10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the conductive trace comprises at least one fiducial marker adapted to be used to align the housing with the infrared sensor assembly.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the fiducial marker comprises at least one of an L-shaped feature and/or a chamfered corner.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is an infrared camera module comprising:
- the housing;
- a lens barrel installed in the housing;
- the infrared sensor assembly;
- the external device implemented as a shutter; and
- a base, wherein the housing is mounted on the base and the conductive trace is in electrical contact with the base, wherein the conductive trace is adapted to pass an electrical signal between the shutter and the base.
13. A method comprising:
- providing a cover comprising a majority of non-metal material;
- metalizing a majority of interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover to provide a metal layer;
- wherein the cover and the metal layer comprise a housing;
- wherein the housing is adapted to receive an infrared sensor assembly comprising a plurality of infrared sensors configured in a focal plane array to capture thermal images of a target scene; and
- wherein the metal layer exhibits a higher thermal conductivity than the cover which reduces non-uniform heating of the infrared sensor assembly when the infrared sensor assembly is enclosed by the housing, wherein the metal layer is adapted to attenuate electromagnetic interference emitted by the infrared sensor assembly and shield the infrared sensor assembly from electromagnetic interference incident on the cover when the infrared sensor assembly is enclosed by the housing.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the metal layer is disposed on a majority of the interior and/or exterior surfaces of the cover, wherein the cover is comprised of a majority of non-metal material.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the metal layer exhibits a lower emissivity than the cover which reduces effects of out-of-field radiation on image frames captured by the infrared sensor assembly when the infrared sensor assembly is enclosed by the housing, wherein the cover exhibits an emissivity in a range of 0.8 to 0.95, wherein the metal layer exhibits an emissivity in a range of 0.02 to 0.11.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the metalizing comprises:
- providing a copper sublayer having a thickness in a range of 4 μm to 16 μm;
- providing a nickel sublayer having a thickness in a range of 2.5 μm to 10.5 μm; and
- providing a gold sublayer having a thickness in a range of 0.05 μm to 0.15 μm.
17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
- providing at least one fiducial marker on a surface of the cover; and
- aligning the housing with the infrared sensor assembly using the fiducial marker.
18. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a conductive trace electrically isolated from the metal layer, wherein the conductive trace is at least partially disposed on a surface of the cover, wherein the conductive trace is adapted to electrically connect to an external component.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the conductive trace comprises a portion of the metal layer, wherein the providing the conductive trace comprises electrically isolating the conductive trace from other portions of the metal layer.
20. The method of claim 18, further comprising forming the housing as a molded interconnect device (MID), wherein the forming comprises providing the conductive trace at least partially within at least one wall of the housing.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein the conductive trace provides an electrical connection from an interior cavity enclosed by the housing to an exterior of the housing, the method further comprising electrically connecting a temperature measurement component to the conductive trace, wherein the temperature measurement component is adapted to be used to determine a temperature associated with the housing.
22. The method of claim 18, wherein the conductive trace comprises at least one fiducial marker adapted to be used to align the housing with the infrared sensor assembly.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the fiducial marker comprises at least one of an L-shaped feature and/or a chamfered corner.
24. The method of claim 22, further comprising assembling an infrared camera module, the assembling comprising:
- screwing a lens barrel into the housing;
- aligning the housing with the infrared sensor assembly using the fiducial marker;
- mounting the housing on a base such that the housing receives the infrared sensor assembly; and
- electrically connecting a shutter to the conductive trace, wherein the conductive trace is adapted to pass an electrical signal between the shutter and the base.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Aug 13, 2013
Date of Patent: Oct 18, 2016
Patent Publication Number: 20130329054
Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Wilsonville, OR)
Inventors: Theodore R. Hoelter (Goleta, CA), Joseph Kostrzewa (Buellton, CA), Pierre Boulanger (Goleta, CA), Barbara Sharp (Santa Barbara, CA), Eric A. Kurth (Santa Barbara, CA)
Primary Examiner: James Pontius
Application Number: 13/966,052
International Classification: H04N 5/225 (20060101); H04N 5/33 (20060101);